Burnished gold is embedded from the tip of her delicate nose to the end of her lean tail, flowing like a sand dune in the desert, lit by the beating sun. Her curves are carefully rounded, body smooth and sleek around her haunches, and as her serpentine neck flows into her torso, mimicking the rise and fall of the sand ridges. Her muzzle is rather short, yet not too wide, as it slopes upwards between each faceted eye, and each short headknob dipped in flaxen yellow. Each sail is a bespeckled hue - a few patches a flaxen variation, while the majority is a darker sand - crossed by spars of dark, antiqued gold across its length. Each limb is lean and carefully proportioned, each the dark orange-yellow hues of a desert set in night's darkness, each tipped with ebony talons.

*Image of Ellamariseth by Tarish

Egg Name and Description

Pride of the Northwest Egg

No larger or smaller than the rest, Pride of the Northwest Egg is a bold, two-toned statue of ovular perfection. Without rhyme or reason, colors twirl and twine in an intricate dance of violet and gold. The gold, varying in places from saffron to bright lemon, consumes the entirety of the egg in a wash of sunshine. From a simplistic circle near the apex of the egg, deep purple slices the almost metallic golden yellow, sweeping vibrant color around its middle in a delicate strand of shades until it meets its demise near the base.

Mind Touches:

Ripples of Rebellion meet you almost coolly, hesitating on the edge of your thoughts, waiting to see how you proceed, yet leaving an invitation to draw nearer. Swirls of rich reds intermingle with stripes of gold, like a ribbon of laughter drawing you closer, to see what comes next. A light scent of alcohol lingers around it, yet barely noticeable as it watches.

Ripples of Rebellion brighten, as vibrant orange hues overpower the darker reds, offering a social outlet for you upon these hot sands. And yet, even as it moves to cheerfully embrace you, there is a lingering sense of curiosity, as a single tendril tests for distractions and weak points. Amidst the gentle hug, there's something other - a sneaking nudge at your thoughts.

Ripples of Rebellion turn darker once more, as the subtle nudge dissipates, and then the presence itself pulls back, seeming to question about this person and that, inquiring, prodding. But then, something else has its attention, and the orange turns back to red, and its withdrawing to attend to some other matter.

Hatching Message

Wobble Messages:
Pride of the Northwest Egg begins to move with a slow motion, rocking back and forth, and rotating slightly as the simplistic circle shows its motion. Purple and gold mingle, yet each stays yet separate.

Crack Message:
Pride of the Northwest Egg continues to rock, the motion much like the patternless coloration across the shell, moving this way and than that. But then, the perfection of its ovular shape is lost as a single crack runs lengthwise across the shell.

Hatch Message:
Pride of the Northwest Egg is no longer the pride of anything, merely the shadow of its former self as the shell is criss-crossed by cracks, each splitting the colors into multiple sections, pushing them apart before finally a large section of golden shell falls to the sands below, revealing a different hue of gold in its place.

Impression Message

Ribbons of gold curl around your mind and usher you close, pulling you front and center, and all attention is on you as red and orange billows around your mind. A dull roar seems to linger, before a voice separates itself from the crowd. « Lysithea! Lys! You came! » And then there is a sudden cheer. « I'm Ellamariseth - Your Ellamariseth. We have much to do..» But then a band of navy takes over the vibrant orange, and the voice changes to one with a hint of embarrassment. « But first, perhaps a meal is at hand. »

Personality

Ellamariseth will be a handful for you, and in more ways than simply her name.

As a weyrling, Ellamariseth will prefer to spend as much of her time as possible out and about, mingling with the other weyrlings, and even the older riders of the weyr. At the lake, outside the caverns, even in the weyrling barracks, no place is safe from her intrusion into conversations and activities. Even if it is merely as an idle participant, she prefers to be involved to some degree, no matter how personal the interactions occurring are. She'll often volunteer to participate in various drills and exercises, only to be an active part of the whole. As she ages, she will slowly grow out of this incessant need; though even as an adult she will prefer the company of others to the solitude of her ledge or the rim.

By association, she will be quick to learn that meal times are times of conversation and interaction for humans, and will believe that it's the food itself that induces this. And so, she'll be interested in trying various foods that can be snuck from the living cavern and to her. While as a weyrling, this isn't overly problematic - after all a single bubbly pie would be enough to give her a taste of something different, as she ages the food quantities will need to increase, to provide a proper sample. Of course, if you are able to dissuade her of it more often than not, you may be in the clear. The same conversational habits will take over her own feeding visits too, as her mind can still speak even as her mouth is occupied. Pity such dragons as Grenth, who would much rather feed by themselves, should Ellamariseth intrude upon their meal.

She is a generally friendly and welcoming dragon, but should trouble arise, she'll be the first to find a perhaps not-so-legitimate way out. Should the vat of weyrling oil suddenly find itself tipped over in the barracks after an excited pounce, she would have surely been out at the lake, far away. Or should the herdbeasts manage to break through a portion of the fence, rather than merely shepherding the animals back, she'd be quick to rile them up and take down a beast, just to send them running in fear. And, for good measure, she'd probably ensure that said beast was downed in the most public location possible.

Ellamariseth is a quite stubborn dragon, and when her mind is made up, her mind is made up. From early on, she will decide where she wants her weyr, and how it will be situated - and when it doesn't come out just as she'd decided, you will be left to pick up the pieces. If she wants a particular color straps, they will need to be a particular color, or if she will have a particular type of animal, she will have a particular type of animal. Only when the fates are completely against her will she back down, and then only begrudgingly, until the opportunity arises to return to her original plan.

In flights, Ellamariseth is more agile than many of the other, larger golds. In the days leading up to her flights, she will grow more aloof, avoiding conversations with both males and females, and preferring to spend her time in public places, but with no interaction with those around her. Her flights themselves will seem to occur rather suddenly, with a short blood, and a sudden ascent, as if she's fleeing simply to put the situation back to rights. And, when the flight is over, and she is on the sands, she'll simply be protective enough of the eggs without being overly so - after all, if she snaps at the candidates, they won't visit her as often, and will rely on the clutchsire to be present as often as possible to provide her the social atmosphere she craves.

Mindvoice

Rich reds, vibrant orange, and metallic gold are the main identifiers of Ellamariseth's mind, but yet opposition in the darker forest green, navy blue, and violets, and even a dull silver. The brighter hues reflect her brighter moods - happiness, amusement, contentment - each has its own range of the spectrum, each cheerfully warming her thoughts. Yet, the cooler hues are associated as well - with hunger or annoyance - bringing with it a chilly touch to her mind. Luckily, given her personality she tends towards the warmth, and will often try to cheer you and the others around you up with it. No matter what her mood, though, there is a constant din in the back of her mind - the muted pieces of overheard conversations playing over and over like a broken record, creating the sense of a large social gathering, with the occasional cheer or shout. When concentration is key, the conversations become only barely audible, as if a door to the next room has been closed, shutting away the chatter, yet still lingers if you are looking for it.

Inspiration

The theme of the eggs this clutch was 'Colleges and Universities', and Pride of the Northwest Egg is based on the University of Washington in Seattle. The UW's colors (pronounced "U-Dub") are purple and gold. They were adopted in 1892 by a school vote when the following excerpt from Lord Byron's "Destruction of Sennacherib" was read:

"The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold,
And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold;
And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea,
And the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee."

There is nothing like the feeling of sporting your school's colors while cheering on the team. While you sit in the stands, you truly feel as if you are in the game and scream your emotion with each play on the field. Despite the Dawgs claiming Seattle as their home, there is nothing grey and drab about those glorious shades of purple and gold.

Ellamariseth is based on Marion, from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Marion is a very independent woman, who runs her own bar, and has a very outgoing personality. She tends to make up her mind quickly, and its only when circumstances force it that she backs down - and there's always some trick up her sleeve whether its noticed or not.

Her name comes from the source of the name Marion - 'Stella Maris' or Star of the Sea. However, in this case, Ellamariseth is a sea of sand rather than water, but it seemed to fit with your desire for a long, drawn out name.